Week 11 Maxwell Football Club Players of the Week

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The Maxwell Football Club takes time to honor college football's top performers over the course of the season through weekly awards. The Maxwell Player of the Week award is given to the top offensive player, and the Bednarik Player of the Week award is given to the top defensive player.

Here are the performances that defined a wild Week 11 in college football.

Maxwell Player of the Week

QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama

The last time Milroe was named Maxwell Player of the Week, the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) were coming off a thrilling win over the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2). The Crimson Tide were thought of as the clear-cut best team in the country, and Milroe was at the center of the discussion for multiple prestigious national awards.

Heading into their Week 11 clash with the No. 15 LSU Tigers (6-3, 3-2), the narratives surrounding Milroe and Alabama had changed drastically. The Crimson Tide had suffered devastating losses to the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-4, 3-3) and the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (8-1, 5-1). Many believed that Alabama had lost the edge that had made them so special during head coach Nick Saban's tenure. The hype around Milroe's season had turned from loud praise to harsh criticism, and many believed Milroe was not the leader that could lift the Crimson Tide out of adversity.

In a game that effectively served as a College Football Playoff elimination game, Milroe rekindled his early-season form and rose to the challenge. He adapted to the rain-soaked conditions and carried his team to a blowout victory with his dynamic performance on the ground.

With a raucous crowd at Death Valley looking on, Milroe ran for a career-high 185 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 12 carries. He rushed for touchdowns on three straight Alabama drives from the end of the second quarter to the start of the fourth, including a 72-yard touchdown run that put the game completely out of reach. He added 109 passing yards in an eventual 42-13 statement win over the Tigers.

The performance earned Milroe his third Maxwell Player of the Week honors of the 2024 season. More importantly, Milroe showed the nation that his talent and resilience will shine through any adversity. In the process of quieting his doubters, he gave many fans a renewed belief that he can be the leader to take the Crimson Tide to championship glory.

Bednarik Player of the Week

EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State

Coming off a disappointing loss to the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten Conference), the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1) were forced to recover quickly with a dangerous Washington Huskies (5-5, 3-4) team coming to Beaver Stadium. Penn State still had so much to play for, and they would need their star players to step up in order to avoid an ill-timed upset.

Carter responded with one of his best performances of the season, leading the charge on defense in an eventual 35-6 dominating win over the Huskies. The junior edge rusher was unstoppable on the line, piling up 6 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He consistently came up with disruptive plays in big moments, getting several key tackles for loss on critical third downs to put an end to promising Huskies' drives.

With the expanded playoff format, Penn State still has a chance to make noise in the postseason despite their frustrating home loss to the Buckeyes. With the tenacity of Carter on defense, there may be no ceiling on what this team can accomplish.